


Zodiac: Your Guide to Fighting the Demon Invasion in Twelve Easy Steps

by nausicaa



Category: Zodiac Cycle - Julie Dillon
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 14:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1095092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nausicaa/pseuds/nausicaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's more than one way to win a war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zodiac: Your Guide to Fighting the Demon Invasion in Twelve Easy Steps

**Author's Note:**

  * For [st_aurafina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/st_aurafina/gifts).



> st_aurafina, you were a joy to write for! I only hope I did your request, and these pieces of artwork, justice. Happy holidays!

**Capricorn**

> _You're being removed from a certain comfort zone and this week is likely to highlight how. Something delightful is on offer. To receive it, be flexible and brave._

He is the one who first sees the attack coming. Strange things in the North are hardly uncommon, but his tower is high enough now that he can put them together. The demons are moving together in greater numbers, the birds have flown south and have yet to return, and the sun never seems to rise on time anymore. 

There was not much to be found in the ruins he chose to build upon: a broken necklace, a fragment of a map, the occasional kitchen tool here and there.  
But then there was the book, its pages still intact, with its spidery writing dictating prophecies that sounded far too outlandish to contain even the smallest grain of truth. He had laughed at them when he first read them, but carefully shelved the book amongst his papers, aware of its historical value.

The prophecies seem less ridiculous now, with the curious absence of birds and the strangely unpunctual sunrises. The signs don't lie: the demon armies are on the rise, marching towards the Great City. 

It's been a long time since he journeyed out from his stronghold in the north, with its comfortable solitude and eerie quiet, broken only by his own construction. He's tried to leave the City behind, though he's never quite been able to forget it, nor those he left behind. It hurts him to think about, even now. _Especially_ now, as he's gathering his papers and preparing for the journey, getting ready to leave behind the stronghold he's put years of his life into. Still, when he thinks of the armies heading for the City – his home, despite the years spent trying to build himself a new one – it's not as though he can make any other choice.

 

**Aquarius**

> _We all wish we had more power or influence in some ways but would supreme power be something we would truly want? As much as you can see ways in which you could improve the lives of others now, there are limits to how much you can – and ought to – do._  
> 

_I could have been queen_ , she thinks as she withdraws from court and makes her way back to the Royal Library. It's not that she ever wanted to be - but she _could_ have been, with her beauty and talent and noble blood putting her at the top of the list of marriageable candidates when the king – the crown prince, back then – was searching for a spouse. She chose a quiet life instead, working as the head librarian in the Great City, and it's something she rarely regrets.

Except now, as she's cursing silently at the obstinate king, who refuses to listen to reason. She's read the prophecies, she knows what's coming. Reports are already coming in from the counties on the fringes, and have been for weeks. But the king, in his desire for things to remain the same, is hiding his head in the sand like an ostrich, and the City – maybe even the whole kingdom – is at risk because of it. And if she'd chosen differently, perhaps she'd be able to sway that stubborn head of his.

"Aquarius," she hears as she steps into her library, and she freezes. It's been years, but she could never forget that voice. She could have been queen, but that road never truly tempted her; this, though, this is the could-have-been that's always left an ache in her heart.

"Capricorn," she says, trying to keep her voice steady. "This is an unexpected pleasure."

"I'm sorry to drop in on you like this," he says. "I know I said I wouldn't come back –"

"That was a long time ago," she interrupts. "You're welcome here."

"I – thank you," he says. "I wish, then, I were here with happier tidings, but I've seen signs – the demons –"

"You've seen them?" she says, the warmth draining from her voice, and he nods. 

"Scores of them. Training exercises, I think. Aquarius, they're on the move and they're heading this way."

"Well then," she says, after a pause. "We'd better alert the guards."

He tips his head. "Shouldn't you go to the king?"

Her lips curve upward, and she takes his hand in hers, pulling him towards the door. "Maybe later."

As they rush through the twisting corridors of the castle, hand in hand, she feels like they're back in school again. The invasion may be on its way, but her heart is lighter all the same.

 

**Pisces**

> _Deal with challenging periods. Slow down and take stock when it's necessary. Identify the right time to make a choice or decision. Be ready for surprises and accepting of them. See through deceptions._  
> 

As court seer, it's up to her to determine the threat posed by the demons. Until now, her counsel to the king has been the same: proceed carefully, and consider every option. She fears he may have interpreted her advice to best suit his desires; caution and inaction are wildly different, and he seems to have chosen the latter. 

She looks over the text that Capricorn has brought with him, her lips pursed. The king is far from pleased with his and Aquarius' rashness, but if the prophecy is correct - and her heart tells her it is - then the demons have managed to cloud her visions of them.

She closes her eyes and clears her mind, focusing on the demon hordes. The usual visions hit: mild activity in the hellbrushes, nothing to be too concerned about. This time, though, she pushes past them, searching for the truth.

She finds it. She almost wishes she hadn't, as vision after vision of catastrophe and loss flickers across her mind. Her eyes open slowly, and when she looks to the king, he already knows her answer.

"Well," he says, his face ashen. "I suppose we're going to war, then."

"Your majesty," she says, standing. "I'm afraid we're _already_ at war."

  


**Aries**

> _Experience is not handed to us on a silver platter. There's something we must do if we're to gain it._

He's served in the king's army for almost four years now, and he never thought he'd actually see combat. Sure, there's a drunken brawl every now and then that needs settling, but a battle with the demon armies is well past his expectations.

His skill with a blade is how he was selected for the royal army in the first place. Typically, someone as young as he is would first have to pay their dues in a small municipal unit. Lately, he'd almost begun to wish he'd gone that route instead; the fringes are dangerous, he's heard, and surely there's action to be seen there.

He regrets nothing now. His blade makes short work of the demons, persistent though they are. He wonders, as he eliminates another one of them, if Sagittarius is watching. She'd always laughed at his dreams of glory, but even so, he was sure he'd seen something of the same longing in her eyes.

His thought is answered by the arrow that splits the skull of a demon who'd been readying an attack from behind him, sneaking up unseen as he dealt with its brethren. He glances around, finally catching sight of her atop a hill, letting loose a volley of arrows. He nods his thanks, and he's met with a brilliant grin in response. 

Another demon rushes at him, and his attention slides. This time, however, he's careful not to give it his full attention and miss something in the meantime.

  


**Taurus**

> _Inclement weather might even slow us down slightly but slowing down usually has more to do with others than it does ourselves._

The demons hit the fringes well in advance of the city, but the City can be sluggish when it comes to responding to what they deem "rural affairs," and they'd underestimated the urgency of the situation until it was too late. By now, Taurus reckons, they've got their own battle to fight.

No matter, though. In her village, at least, they've got matters well under control. A group of fighters had risen up, taking their everyday skills and translating them into methods more suitable for the battlefield, and they'd managed to drive back the incursion. She knows there's still more to come, though - nothing can truly go back to normal until the entire invasion has been suppressed, and until then, they still have to deal with the occasional attacks, as well as their relative isolation. The roads are too dangerous, leaving the trade routes unnavigable, and most merchants will have taken up arms by now anyway. With no news, no trade, and no support, they're effectively on their own

Feeding a town of laborers was a difficult enough task in times of plenty. Now, though, with half the village's inhabitants working as a makeshift army rather than working the fields, there's precious little to go around. That's where Taurus comes in. She's not a fighter, never has been. But she's still always been a leader, and she's farmed all her life; organizing those who could not fight was easy enough, and passing on her knowledge to them came almost as second nature, though she'd never thought of herself as a teacher before. With their combined efforts, they've pulled in a decent harvest. It's small in comparison to previous years, of course, but it's more than they could have possibly hoped for once the invasion began.

They're not in the clear yet, though. There are preparations to be made if they're to survive the winter wholly on their own, something the village has never faced before, even in wartime. Still, they've made it this far, and she's sure that with a little more hard work, they'll be able to get through.

  


**Gemini**

> _Don't be too quick to believe you've backed a losing horse, you have not. Impatience could be blinkering your judgment but a development this week might put that into perspective._

Aquarius puts them to work. Well, she _always_ puts them to work, they're under her tutelage, after all. But the twins thought that living in a time of war would be, well, _exciting_. Neither had expected it to just involve even more homework than usual. 

"We should have joined the army," one of the brothers grumbles as he struggles to carry his books over to a table. "I swear I've looked through these ones a dozen times already. Did you find anything in that first volume of Amalthazar?"

"Well, I now know over a dozen ways to keep spotted slugs out of your wolfsbane. D'you think it'll help us win the war?" He sighs, slamming the book closed. "You're right, we _should_ have joined the army. I'd be good with a blade, don't you think?" He holds Amalthazar's book aloft and swings it around a few times like a sword. Unfortunately, he comes a little too close to his brother, who jerks back and sends his pile of books flying.

"Yeah, you'd be great," he snips as they both look around furtively, hoping Aquarius hasn't witnessed them mistreating her books. They relax after a moment, kneeling down to reassemble the pile. 

"Damn, this one's damaged." Most of them are unharmed, but one - another old volume of Amalthazar, bound in leather, aged so much that its cover is soft and peeling away - has pages spilling from it.

"Here," he says, taking it from his brother. He starts the arduous task of putting the pages back in the right order, wishing Amalthazar had spent some time detailing book-binding spells instead of just prattling on about charms to protect your herb garden from hungry pests. As he's getting the last few in, he notices that the end paper has separated from the cover, and a piece of parchment is sticking out from where it must have been slipped in between. "Hey, take a look at this."

He slips it out and unfolds it carefully. _To be used only in times of great distress,_ it begins. _This spell contains the power to vanquish your enemies, but I fear its price may be too heavy a burden for any but the most skilled of mages. To take it lightly is to risk losing one's self to a weapon greater than any other I have ever known._

His brother, reading over his shoulder, whistles lowly. "Looks like old Amalthazar had a few tricks up his sleeve after all. C'mon, we'd better get this to Aquarius."

  


**Cancer**  


> _This week, look for what is positive within an arrangement. The sky promises that something strong can be built from that._

She comes in late from the field; the days are growing shorter, and every extra moment spent working in autumn will help them to live through the winter. It's late, but she's unsurprised to find her little girl waiting up for her, and she smiles through her exhaustion. "Isn't it past your bedtime?" she asks.

"Gran said that you'd tell me a story if I waited."

"Well, we'd better not make a liar out of Gran," she says, turning to look at the bookshelf. "What would you like me to read?"

"I want a story about a dragon, but I don't want my bear to be scared," her daughter says, hugging the toy she carries everywhere.

"Let's see if we can't find something you'll both like, then," Cancer says, poring over the selection and finally finding one that fits the bill: a tale about a princess who gets kidnapped by a dragon only to discover he'd actually been rescuing her from a siege on the castle.

It's a long tale, and her daughter falls asleep halfway through. Cancer keeps reading until the end, though, tired as she is. They're at war with a force that can't be reasoned with and victory is far from assured, and it's nice to know that happy endings exist, even if they're just fiction. Still, her daughter, curled up in her lap and holding her toy bear close, gives her hope where there should be none.

  


**Leo**

> _A new era is beckoning and one that promises you'll be defending yourself much less, very soon._  
> 

It's only been a few months since the demons started coming - slow at first, just scouts, and then more and more, entire legions - but some days she has a hard time remembering that she was ever anything other than a general. Her grandmother had been a hero in the last wars, and had been instrumental in winning the peace that followed in the decades to come - but that peace had been costly, and it was for that reason her family had moved to the fringes at all. Her grandmother had wanted to get away from that kind of life, and her grandfather had only been too happy to oblige.

Leo's grown up in the countryside living a peaceful life; before this, she worked as a barmaid in the tavern in the village, sometimes performing the occasional song for the patrons to bring in more coin. These days, when she raises her voice it's to lead her soldiers. They're gentle, peaceful folk, all of them, but they're strong from years of working the fields, and there are more than a few retired veterans like her grandmother around, able to offer strategic advice. Together they've been able to stay alive and hold their lands. 

Leo would never have dreamed of this life and can't wait to leave it behind. The tavern is her livelihood and singing is her calling; someday she'll go back to it, she hopes. But her grandmother's old armor fits her like a glove, and when she speaks, others listen. It's not enough to save the world, but whatever good she can do, she will.

  


**Virgo**  


>   
>  _This month, you're likely to find yourself recognizing potential of something you believed would never serve any purpose. Prepare to rediscover the value of something you'd ignored._   
> 

Before the demons hit the fringes on their way to the Great City, she kept to herself. She'd come to the countryside to get away from the noise and the people, after all. Now, though, working together is essential; the demons may have moved on en masse, but the second wave is coming, if the scouts' reports are true, and you never know when you'll be hit. 

She shifts her basket onto her hip and makes her way over to Taurus, who's been steadfastly working the field all morning. "You need to eat," she says, tossing her an apple.

One of Taurus' braids has come loose, and she blows the hair out of her eyes and looks up. "Thank you," she says, smiling sheepishly. "How are the plans for the greenhouse coming?"

She pats the bag on her back, teeming with rolled up scrolls, and smiles. "All finished, if you'd like to look them over."

They sit together in the soil, heads together as they pore over the plans, and finally Taurus nods approvingly. "These look great," she says. "We're going to be able to make it through the winter thanks to this."

Virgo feels her face grow hot. "It's nothing, really. You're the one who's kept everything going."

"I had help," Taurus says. "I had you." Her smile is warm, and Virgo feels herself matching it.

  


**Libra**

> _This month, an altruistic action on your behalf will not only make a big difference to someone else's world, it will transform something within your own._

The energy forcefields that surround the Great City are costly to keep up, and the attacks are coming so frequently now that it's been days since he last slept, letting the younger monks take turns resting instead. They're less skilled, after all, but it's not just that; their energy, in turn, feeds back to him, and it's what's been keeping him going all this while, allowing him to funnel all of his power into the shields. 

One of them approaches quietly, careful not to disturb his concentration, but he can feel his approach through the energy that bounces back between them, between all of them.

When this is all over, he'll sleep for a week. But for now, he holds on as best he can, with the other monks supporting him. If nothing else - even if they fail - this war has drawn them together, and for that, Libra is grateful. Before, they were co-workers, acquaintances, even friends - but never a family, not like now.

 

**Scorpio**

> _You appear to be embarking upon a process of revelation, something is coming to light that has been ignored or swept under a proverbial carpet for too long. What comes to light at this time might not be all sweetness and roses but knowledge is, as they say, power. You're about to be in a stronger position through knowing something._  
> 

She has always been one who shied away from the word _lover_ \- not for the implications it brings, but because its first four letters have always tripped her up. Passion is one thing, and friendship is another, but merging the two is a frightening thought. Better to leave things unspoken rather than speak and watch her words dissolve them.

When the attacks start coming, though, it's harder to deny what she's feeling. And when a strike hits too close to home and leaves him shaken, she takes him into her arms, stroking his smooth skin gently. "Hush, darling. You know I'll protect you."

"You always do," he says, lips pressed into her neck, and she smiles, not knowing what she was so scared of. Love isn't anything she hasn't been doing already.

  


**Sagittarius**

> _The coming week brings you face-to-face with an opportunity you are unlikely to delay seizing. The only snag is, it might appear at first as an unwelcome development. Look past that at what is worth having._

The arrow flies from her bow, and as quickly as it's gone, she's drawn another from her quiver. 

She spots Aries on the battlefield below her, a demon legionnaire sneaking up behind him. She lets another arrow loose and the demon falls; Aries glances back, and then up at her, nodding his thanks. She grins, not looking away from him as she sends another arrow into the fray. It hits its mark nonetheless.

From her vantage-point, she can see the entire field, and she's high enough that the arrows of her foes fall short, leaving her unharmed. She takes out demon after demon; they continue on relentlessly, but the tide has turned against them, and their inevitable victory suddenly seems far less assured.

Her muscles already ache, but she's sure she could do this forever. Her bowstring sings beneath her fingers. Another arrow flies, and another demon falls.

She was born for this.

**Author's Note:**

> Excerpted horoscopes are from this December's weekly and monthly horoscopes at freehoroscopesastrology.com. Apologies for any formatting or tag weirdness - I'm having a little trouble adjusting to AO3. :)
> 
> Thank you to C. for the beta!


End file.
